AM Cup - Let's transform 3D printing

Aug 04, 2017

The challenge continues as University students from around the globe help to take additive manufacturing technology to the next level.

The Additive Manufacturing Cup is an international contest where teams of students replicate, as accurately as possible, a 3D figure with our polyetheretherketone (PEEK) filaments, one of the most difficult polymers to print. The challenge is divided into two rounds. The first involved reproducing a simple CAD file. The teams creating the best prints were selected to move onto the final round, which consists of replicating a complex shape. The 3D-prints are assessed based on two criteria: their mechanical stability and their aesthetic appearance.

We thank all the students who competed in Round 1 and wish the best of luck to the finalists, listed below. Congratulations to all!

Terms and Conditions

Read the fine print

Solvay Additive Manufacturing Cup Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

Solvay Additive Manufacturing Cup challenges university student teams from all over the world to 3D printing using one of the best known polymer – polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Solvay is offering a total of 18 000€ (eighteen thousand euros) in prizes for the best students or teams which are able to 3D print, as accurately as possible, a 3D model proposed by Solvay.

Solvay Additive Manufacturing Cup (hereafter the “Competition”) is an international competition, organized by Solvay Specialty Polymers Germany GmbH, a limited liability company headquartered in Hans-Boeckler Allee D-30173 Hannover, Germany (hereafter “Solvay”) and part of the Solvay group.

By applying (see section 4), you are unconditionally agreeing to the present terms & conditions. Please make sure you read them fully and accurately before proceeding with the application.

2. Objectives

The objectives of the Competition are to i) give students interested in additive manufacturing the opportunity to actually solve problems at the point where material science, mechanical science and computer science meet, as well as to ii) recognize students’ problem-solving capabilities in the field of 3D printing.

3. Eligibility & Entry Requirements

The Competition is a worldwide contest targeted at students of all disciplines registered in an accredited university (hereafter the “Participants”) of any course year and with a minimum of 16 (sixteen) years of age. Students may participate individually or as a team. Maximum two Participants (or Teams) per University can take part into the competition.

Students currently taking part in an internship, apprenticeship or placement in the Solvay group are not eligible to participate to the Competition unless by the end of the Competition application period they are no longer placed in the Solvay group. In addition, Competition organizers must be notified of this circumstance at the time of the application.

Immediate family members (immediate family members include: spouse; parents and grandparents; children and grandchildren; brothers and sisters; mother-in-law and father-in-law; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law; daughters-in-law and sons-in-law; adopted, half, and step members are also included) of Solvay group employees which are not, directly or indirectly, involved in the Competition are allowed to enter the same if they declare the name of said employee at the time of application. Failure to do so will invalidate their application, and will lead to disqualification from the Competition at this, or any later stage.

More generally, Participants shall disclose any situation of existing or potential conflict of interest to the organizers at any time during or before entering the Competition. Solvay reserves the right to refuse participation or to disqualify at any time during the Competition any individuals or teams that do not comply with the above described restrictions.

4. Application

Solvay reserves the right to check the validity of the application information submitted by the Participants at any stage during the Competition and to ask for evidence of the information provided by the Participants.

Solvay also reserves the right to refuse participation of, or to disqualify, Participants at any time during the Competition.

Participants will have no recourse against disqualification decisions. All Participants must apply by 29.10.2017 at 23:59 CET.

Any Participant not correctly registered on the date given at that time, will not be able to participate further in the Competition.

5. Competition Stages and Timeline

The Competition starts on November 6th 2017 and ends on March 28th 2018 with the winner announcement.

A Competition briefing package will be sent to all approved Participants. The briefing package will include all the material needed for the stage 1 (500gr of Material, CAD file of the part to be replicated, material description, main problems to overcome, etc…). Solvay may disclose additional information to the Participants during the course of the Competition.

Competition important dates

Application Deadline

29 October 2017, 23:59 CET

Stage 1 Start

6 November 2017

Stage 1 Finish

14 January 2018

Finalist Announcement

5 February 2018

Stage 2 Start

5 February 2018

Stage 2 Finish

11 March 2018

Winner Announcement

22 March 2018

Winner Visits

16 - 20 April 2018

6. Evaluation and Selection of Prize Winners

The Participants’ submission will be evaluated by a jury formed of experts from Solvay and its partners (hereafter the “Jury”). The Jury’s decision on the selected finalists and winner shall be final.

The Jury’s decision will be based on the criteria set out in the briefing pack sent at the start of the Competition, unless afterwards modified by Solvay (in which case additional updated information shall be sent to the Participants).

7. Correspondence

All correspondence and material must be in English.

There will be an FAQ section on the Competition website, which will aim to cover many of the questions that Participants may have.

Any additional questions or comments concerning the Competition must be sent via e-mail to: amcup.solvay@solvay.com

However, no guarantee of an answer or an answer time may be given. Furthermore, Solvay reserves the right not to answer the question if it is judged that an answer would give an unfair advantage to certain Participants.

Participants who have received unofficial or content sensitive information relating to the Competition with the intent of allowing an unfair competitive advantage, from employees, interns, apprentices and trainees of any party involved with the Competition must immediately inform Solvay by e-mail: amcup.solvay@solvay.com

8. Prizes

The winner, the first and the second runner-ups will be awarded respectively with a 10.000€ (ten thousand euros), 5.000€ (five thousand euros) and 3.000€ (three thousand euros) worth investment in one of the following possible ways:

Academic: to fund an academic purpose on additive manufacturing of Polymers.

Entrepreneurial: to be the seed investment in an entrepreneurial endeavor

Societal: to benefit a non-profit association

Solvay reserves the right to award additional ‘discretionary’ prizes to Participants during or at the end of the Competition.

9. Intellectual Property

Solvay shall own any printed part made by the Participants, and shall be free to use the same for any purpose.

In addition, any information obtained, and any result or know-how generated, during the Competition by the Participants, and which is related to Solvay’s materials and their use or processing for 3D printing, shall be owned by Solvay.

The Participants shall retain ownership of any generic know-how they may develop during the Competition in relation to the 3D printing process used by the Participants for the Competition.

No other rights than those expressly provided under these Terms and Conditions are granted by Solvay to the Participants, by implication or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights, including patents, designs, know-how, copyrights, proprietary information and trademarks.

10. Confidentiality

For the purposes hereof, “Confidential Information” shall mean (i) any information of a technical or business nature disclosed directly or indirectly by Solvay, in whatever form, in relation to the Competition, and any information derived by the Participants therefrom, (ii) any material provided by Solvay in relation to the Competition, and any product made by the Participants therefrom, and (iii) any result obtained pursuant to the testing of any product made under (ii).

With regard to Confidential Information, the Participants shall:

hold the same in confidence using the same degree of care as they use for protecting their own confidential information of a like nature (but in no event less than a reasonable degree of care), including, by keeping in secure storage and reasonably separate from other information;

not copy the same;

not disclose or supply the same to any person except members of their team involved in the Competition;

not use, or in any way exploit for its benefit, the same except for the Competition;

not disassemble, analyze, or have others analyze, any material samples received from Solvay or any portions;

upon Solvay’s request and option, either return Confidential Information to Solvay, or destroy (or delete permanently in the case of digital or electronic media) the same, and all the Participants’ documents prepared by the Participants and embodying or utilizing any part of the same; and

upon termination of the Competition, and unless otherwise agreed between Solvay and any Participant, dispose of any remaining material samples and all portions thereof in a manner that does not reveal their identity or method of manufacturing and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to health, safety, and environment.

The Participants commit to obtain the fulfillment by any member of their team involved in the performance of the Competition, of any obligation incurred by the Participants hereunder. For such purpose, the Participants shall notify such persons of their obligations hereunder, and shall be responsible for any violation of the provisions hereunder by such persons.

Solvay undertakes not to publish any PPT presentation(s) nor video(s) without the Participants’ prior written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

11. Personal Data

Any personal data of the Participants will be processed by Solvay in accordance with data protection laws enforceable in Germany.

The Participants agree and give their consent for Solvay to publish, in whatever form and media, the following information:

name

country of origin

university

description of the Competition objectives met and how

value of the prize received

12. Liability – Representations

Solvay shall not be held liable for any damage caused to the Participants or to any third parties as a consequence or associated with the Competition. In addition, Solvay shall also not be held liable for any damage caused by any of the Participants.

The Participants represent and warrant that (i) any part provided to Solvay for the Competition has been made by the Participants themselves and the members of their team, without recourse to any external third party, and that (ii) to the best of their knowledge, the manufacture of any such part does not violate, infringe or misappropriate any intellectual property right of any third party.

13. Claims and Disputes

These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time. Any change will be notified to Participants and published on solvayamcup.com.

The Competition and these terms and conditions are governed by the laws of Germany.

As permitted by law, the rights to litigate seek injunctive relief or to make any recourse to judicial or extrajudicial procedures in regard to the decision of the Jury and Solvay in relation to the Competition is hereby excluded. The Participants expressly agree to waive any and all such rights.